ELIC pp 216 - 326 and FFN pp 1 - 57

1) Oskar's search affected his sense of self by forcing him to face other peoples' pain. He grew to understand that while his pain was important, it did not preclude the pain of others, and it was necessary for him to have compassion for their suffering, especially that of his mother. His search also gave him the opportunity to begin defining who he is as a person, as opposed to being defined in terms of others (i.e. “you remind me of your father”).

2) Thomas Schell discovers that he cannot exist in a vacuum, closed off from human contact. Originally, he believed that he could not face the world after his experiences during the bombing of Dresden, and losing Ana, who was pregnant with his child. However, even during this phase, I think that he realized, at least subconsciously, that he needs others; this can be seen in his constant requests that strangers tell him the time, despite the clock above where he sits in the airport. It was not until he found his son's name in the lists of those killed during the 9/11 attacks that he consciously acknowledged his need for a connection, especially with his wife and grandson.

In addition, I think that Thomas Schell made the same discovery as Oskar, namely that his pain did not preclude the pain of others. In struggling to help Oskar cope with the loss of his father, Thomas was able to move beyond his own pain, and paradoxically, to bring it into clearer focus.

3) Before I read the book Fast Food Nation, I ate fast food at least three or four times a week. Because of its convenience and good taste, it was a constant, steady influence on my diet. Beyond what I ate, I did not notice that fast food otherwise influenced my life.

4) As I read the book Fast Food Nation, I began to realize that fast food was affecting my life in more ways that just influencing what I was eating, although that was a very large impact. Through the process of synergy (“The idea that the value and performance of two companies combined will be greater than the sum of the separate individual parts.” - Dictionary.com), fast food has influenced the world around me, from the actions of the government, to product placements in schools, to influencing the local and national economy. Fast food is everywhere around us, and influences us even if we choose not to partake of its products.